Latest LTW raffle is on!

[Ned Christiansen]

I just got a few more things to add to the package. These are good. First let me say: a big part of me has wished all along that we could say, "must be an NRA member to be eligible to win". We probably can't say that and maybe shouldn't; but still, I think a lot of people would agree that anyone who owns a gun of any kind, and really, anyone who believes in personal freedom, should belong. The NRA may not be perfect in every way but it is our biggest and best bet in Washington; who knows where we might be today in terms of being able to own guns without he NRA, but I'll tell you this, it would not be a pretty picture. I question if LTW could exist without the good work the NRA has done over the decades on behalf of ALL Americans, not just gun owners.

So here's the deal: the winner of the package gets a free NRA membership. In the likely event that winner is already a member, the membership can be transferred to anyone he or she designates. Thank you, NRA, for supporting this LTW raffle, and thank you for doing what must be a difficult and sometimes thankless job!

http://www.nra.org/

I have just discovered "NRA News" on their site, it's like NRA talk radio. Very informative, I play it in the background as I do the 'net, to keep up to date on the many attempts from many quarters to restrict and prevent law-abiding citizens from owning firearms. Not to rant here, but they aren't just looking for black rifles and hi-capacity this or that. They have every intention of taking it all.

Bonus on top of bonus on top of bonus: USPSA has also said they want to support LTW with a membership to winner of 4TC1s (LTW#4). It looks like IDPA is also going to play! Both outfits do a lot in terms of presenting firearms ownership in a positive light and in promoting youth participation in competition.

http://www.uspsa.org/
http://idpa.com/

So, the latest complete list of industry support for 4TC1s:

http://www.dakotaammo.net/products/corbon/dpx.htm
http://www.vzgrips.com
http://www.trippresearch.com
http://www.nossargunleather.com
http://www.centermassinc.com
http://www.safariland.com/index2.asp
http://www.egw-guns.com/
http://www.black-hills.com
http://www.starlightcases.com
http://www.wilsoncombat.com
http://www.nossargunleather.com
http://www.barsto.com
http://www.striketactical.com
http://www.brownells.com
http://www.chrisreeve.com/greenberet.htm
http://www.leupold.com/tactical/products/binoculars/
http://www.fnhusa.com/
http://www.dawsonprecision.com
http://www.nra.org/
http://www.uspsa.org/
http://idpa.com/

[Ned Christiansen]

Nothing has been said yet about the finish on this gun. Seems like a desert tan or maybe flat dark earth is indicated, or at least a matte black. It has to conform to the hard use / minimum maintenance / max durability theme.

Five years ago I was not terribly keen on the spray and bake finishes. I have a little more experience with them now and use and recommend them more that I used to, in certain circumstances. But I want something for this project that comes as close as possible to a "forever" finish, so as to conform to the above and also to maximize the long-term collector appeal of this package.

Hard chrome would be a good choice in several categories, but color would not be one. Hard chrome would give good corrosion resistance, and add a lot of life to the surfaces and areas subject to wear from the outside or from parts running one against the other. The hardness and low coefficient of friction on two chromed parts running together wouldn't hurt reliability. I mean, reliability on this gun is going to be a given but going into an extreme theoretical scenario of weeks in the field, dust, sand, mud, and who-knows-what, a little smooth running won't hurt "none".

How to get the color back to spec then? I have not tried it, but I'm guessing that since hard chrome is something of a non-stick surface (even FDA approved), that a spray and bake would not stick well to it long-term, at least not good enough for an heirloom grade project such as this.

My experience with Tungsten DLC is limited, but I have found it to be an impressive finish. It is actually harder than chrome, which is already off the Rockwell "C" scale, it can be applied over chrome, and it's.... black. I've had all of one gun done in DLC ("Diamond-Like-Carbon"), and it came out very nice (had it at SHOT last year). Getting it done was not without a few hitches but I've had that with just about every refinisher I've dealt with. The important thing was that the source, Ion Bond, was communicative and stand-up about it, and the end result was great.

Now, last year at SHOT, one of my display guns was a .50 GI that was a collaboration between myself and the guys at GI. After I did my part (Conamyds and a magwell), they finished it up and had it Metalloyed. This was one of the nicest chrome jobs I had ever seen, so, after consulting a bit with Chris Peters of Metalloy, he has kindly volunteered to provide his finish for 4TC1s, after which it will get the Tungsten DLC finish.

[Ned Christiansen]

I'm going to start dribbling out some pictures. I usually don't like to post pics of work-in-progress but this is a little different. Anyway, I'm still going to be on the stingy side with them.

Mags provided with the gun will be (minimum) the two that came with it and three Tripp seven-rounders. These have the base plate TIG'd on. The one on the left is one of the Springfield mags with the welds already trimmed off. It's not like I've had a ton of base plates blow out but it happens. Given the theme of the pistol we want everything to be really, truly as knock-proof as it can be.

[Ned Christiansen]

I'm always hesitant about showing "in progress" pics but I know this project seems to be taking a long time, so here are a few. After a few more hours' work, it went to Metaloy yesterday for the first part of the finish.

YoBo sights with Shield Driver mod, LTW logo and "4TC1s" engraving on top in front of rear sight.



Stan's magwell, Chuck's frontstrap and lanyard point, VZ grips with black band.


Folks, this is a stupendous package (not just the gun) and is a win-win for everybody (well, OK, more so for one particular person).
Getcher tickets at http://www.pistolraffle.com

[Ned Christiansen]

Maybe another week and I'll have some "done" pictures to show y'all. I think you're going to like them. The project gun has been to and returned from Metaloy and what a great job they did. At this time it's out to Ion Bond to be made black by their Tungsten DLC process. With these two finishes on it, this will be a "forever" gun.

Don't hesitate to get your tickets for this raffle, people. February 5th is not that far off, get a piece if this before you forget. Right now you've got a better than 1-in-1500 chance of winning-- darn good odds. I do hope we sell at least 3,000 tickets but even at 1-in-3000, that's still way better than lotto odds by a bunch.

At $10 a ticket, and whether you win or not you're supporting our troops? Get 'er done!

[SHIVAN]

How many tickets can each person buy?? I'm in for $30 so far....

[Ned Christiansen]

Shivan, I invite you, no I dare y..... no, wait. I challenge you to buy 100 tickets! No problem!

[Joseywales]

What is the address to send a check to? I couldn't find it on the web site.

[5POINT56]

Just bought a few tickets.

How is the winner notified if paid through PayPal? Via email?

[Ned Christiansen]

Guys--

For those who want to mail a check instead of using PayPal:
The mail-in address is:
AmericanSnipers.org
1950 Cofrin DR #9605
Green Bay WI 54308-9605

Notice of receipt is given only by Email (whether you paid by mail or PayPal), so if you mail in, make sure you include it. If you use the mail-in page on the raffle website, there is a place for it. Basically this page is sorta like a "pledge" thing-- you register for the ticket and agree to mail in the dough. It is
http://pistolraffle.com/paybycheck.htm--
you will receive an Email with your ticket numbers. Wouldn't hurt to save it or print it, but it's not like you'll have to show it to collect the prize. These guys all have pretty full plates so please allow some time for your confirmation Email to get there.